The Dutchman is almost assured of his place in the last four, and after fighting back from 3-1 down for a share of the spoils with the 16-time world champion, he ended week 13 in top spot after Van Gerwen lost to Gary Anderson.

The Scot stormed into a 6-2 advantage, and although Van Gerwen halved the deficit, the former Premier League titlist held on to remain in the hunt for a playoff place.

Peter Wright ensured that he remained in the top four when he took the final leg against Adrian Lewis to draw 6-6, but Dave Chisnall is out of contention after failing to win either of his matches on Thursday evening.

After falling victim to Robert Thornton who prevailed 7-5, Chisnall was comfortably beaten 7-2 by Taylor in the final fixture of the night.